Nation's mayors gathering in Miami

Obama, favored among group, slated to speak

They govern 85 percent of the U.S. population, but the nation's mayors will only hear from one presidential candidate during their annual gathering that begins today in Miami.

Democrat Barack Obama will speak to the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Saturday. Republican John McCain will be in Canada and Arizona discussing trade and other issues, a campaign spokesman said.

Members of the Democrat-heavy group overwhelmingly back Obama and his former rival Hillary Clinton, according to hundreds of endorsements on the conference web site. On Sunday, former President Bill Clinton will address the group. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who may be on McCain's short list of prospective running mates, also will speak.

The appearance will give Obama a chance to shore up his crucial urban base, which helped him defeat Hillary Clinton during the primaries and will be a key source of votes in November. The Obama campaign won't reveal his planned remarks, but the candidate likely will speak of his plans to create a White House Office of Urban Policy to ensure that federal dollars for cities are spent on "the highest impact programs," according to the campaign.

That strategy will be key in Florida and other states to buttress his appeal to working-class white voters who have felt the brunt of the souring economy in cities like Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach. Mayors can help get voters to the poll on Election Day, and they'll be motivated by a candidate who says he won't forget them after moving into the Oval Office.

But the issues facing America's cities have no clear-cut partisan solutions, experts say, and both liberals and conservatives are experimenting with new ideas in cities around the country. "Over the last 20 years there's been a breakdown in the partnership between cities and the federal government regardless of administration," said Mitchel Herckis, an analyst with the non-partisan National League of Cities. "There are a lot of innovations flowing from the local level, in areas like the environment, that the federal government could learn from or encourage."

Innovative measures such as using solar power to heat city buildings and saving energy through the use of new generation lighting are part of the movement to make cities greener.

Climate change also will be heavily discussed at the forums in Miami.

"I think one of the most important issues that whoever is elected will have to contend with is climate change," said James F. Murley, director of the Anthony James Catanese Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions at Florida Atlantic University. "Because whatever happens with global warming, we're going to feel it first in Southeast Florida before the rest of the nation."

Staff Writer Tim Collie can be reached at tcollie@sun-sentinel.com or at 954-356-4573.